Of Past Things Forgotten
by elric0sis
Summary: Written for KisaIta Week 2015! ***Itachi finally reached a sense of happiness, a sense of order, when suddenly it was ripped out from under him leaving him spiraling down in a blaze of agony and heartache. Kisame is learning how to live life from the start again, it's almost as if the last 5 years in the Akatsuki never happened...and who is the black haired beauty stalking him?***
1. First Meeting - Goodbye

KisaIta Week Day One- First Meeting/Goodbye

Kisame awoke to a pounding in his skull and a bright light shining down from above. He took a second to allow his eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness before actually taking in his surroundings. No dangerous chakra signatures were present, and as far as he could tell he was in someplace familiar to him.

He groaned and rubbed at his eyes slightly as he sat up, allowing the weight of his body to fully hit him. The shark felt as though a bus was weighing on his shoulders with how many bandages covered his body, exhaustion shrieked from every muscle and old wounds began to tear with the sudden movements. He grumbled and shifted around the white hospital bed, trying to find a more comfortable position. His head was pounding, and as he reached up to hold it steady he felt the familiar soft gauze wrapped tightly around his temples.

 _What happened to me?_

 _How did I end up like this?_

 _And where the hell is Samehada?!_

All of these questions and more did nothing to alleviate the pain building in his skull, eventually forcing him to give up and trying to comprehend anything except basic bodily functions. He closed his eyes and rest his forearm across his face to try and block out the light, anything that could help him get back to that blessed sleep.

The sound of the door creaking open caught his attention, and he moved his arm away just enough to peek out at the cause of the noise.

"Ah, it's good to see you're awake. We were getting worried for a while there." A man with long black hair smiled at him, somehow easing the shark's anxiety.

The man walked over and took a seat next to his bed, setting down a small bowl of apples before taking out a kunai. Before Kisame could react he picked up one of the fruit and began the delicate task of peeling the red skin off, exposing the soft juicy meat below. He did this for a while, just sitting there by the blue man's side peeling apples and humming softly to himself, all the while Kisame watching him with a wary eye. Who was this man? Was he one of the doctors? If so, shouldn't he be tending to some of the other members?

Kisame blinked for a second. _Members? That's right… There were others, just like him… What was the name… What was the name….?_

The man stopped after a second and set down the knife, holding out a completely sliced apple to the shark. He blinked for a second, looking hesitantly between the fruit and the smiling pale face before taking it from the delicate looking hand, munching it between his razor sharp teeth. For a male the guy was fairly feminine, long flowing hair, small thin hands, that smile…. And of course the apple thing didn't help to secure any of his masculinity. Kisame scoffed under his breath, taking a break from scarfing down the apple to take a swig of water and watch the pale man.

' _Kids nowadays are so weak… They go about life with this idea of friendship and comradery and don't realize the façade behind it all… They will just have to learn one way or another….'_ Kisame grumbled to himself under his breath, frowning as the smaller man seemed to smile to himself at his grumbling. "And what's so funny?"

The man, child really, he didn't look a day over 18, continued to work at the next apple as he replied. "Even with critical injuries you find something to scrutinize. You can't just relax and trust someone fully, hn?" He smiled up at the blue man again, holding out another apple slice.

"Just look at you. Kicking back, relaxing as your boyfriend feeds you. You should be ecstatic, I don't do this for just anyone you know."

Wait.

 _What?_

"Excuse me?" Kisame fumbled over his words, a million thoughts racing through his pounding head. He groaned and held his head in his hands, swatting away worried hands. "Don't touch me! What are you talking about?!" The shark man growled out between gritted teeth, glaring at the smaller man.

He blinked, obviously taken by surprise. "Kisame…. Do you really not remember?" the words seem to ghost across his lips, and if Kisame hadn't been paying attention he would have missed them entirely. "It's me…. Itachi…"

 _And you are Uchiha Itachi, formerly of Konohagakure_

What was that?! Kisame gripped at his skull harder, leaving tiny bruises under each finger. Was he losing his mind?!

"I'm your partner Kisame."

 _I think we are alike….It's why I wanted to be teamed with you in Akatsuki_

"Shut up! Just, s-shut up!" Kisame gritted out, throwing all self-restraint out the window. Whatever the hell Itachi was doing was killing him! His head felt like it was being ripped open from the inside!

Itachi took a step back, eyebrows knitting together in confusion and concern. "Kisame, I just want to help…"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Itachi barely had enough time to duck out the door as the bowl previously holding the apples smashed into a thousand pieces against the wall where his head used to be.

The shark man sat there for a moment in complete silence, taking in everything that had just happened before hiding his face behind his hands again. The headache had subsided for now, but it would return at full force soon if he didn't get any sleep. At least that kid was gone.

Itachi stood outside the door waiting, listening for any signs of movement inside the room before letting out a sigh he hadn't realized he had been holding. That was a little too close for his own comfort, but at least he had gotten Kisame to eat something. The weasel stepped away from the white door and walked past Zetsu's office, stopping briefly inside.

"He had a few apples today…. I at least got him to eat that much…"

The plant man looked up from his desk full of paperwork, giving Itachi a look of confusion. "No luck with him remembering?"

The weasel shook his head slowly before stepping out, walking the familiar path to the shared bedroom. Zetsu sighed as he went back to his work. _'That poor kid…. Three weeks have already passed, now Kisame finally wakes up and doesn't remember the past 5 years….It has to be tough on him….'_

Itachi sighed as he flopped unceremoniously onto the large bed, taking time in slipping off his clothes and untying his hair. It's not like he had anyone to be considerate of, and at the moment he wanted nothing more than to crawl in bed and just forget today had ever happened.

He reached over and switched off the light on the nightstand before crawling under the covers, shifting over from his usual side in favor of submersing himself in the scent of his lover. He wrapped the sheets tightly around him and pressed his nose to the cool side of the pillow, inhaling deeply and shuddering as he is overwhelmed by the scent he had grown to love. Kisame's scent was all his own, it was a mix of salty sea breeze and pure masculine musk, a scent so endearing to Itachi just his bed was enough to make him feel as though the shark man was laying right beside him. But of course, said shark man was currently two doors down hating his guts at the moment, all at once destroying any hope Itachi had of dreaming for the night. No, Itachi would spend the majority of the night just enjoying the scents from their sheets before drifting off to sleep, only to be awakened multiple times by the same nightmare; eventually ending with him caving in and getting out of bed.

Once settled in the raven took a minute to let his body adjust to the absence of his other half, instead curling around another pillow adorning the bed to mimic the feel of human contact. He had gone years before even meeting Kisame and slept just fine, but after they had started dating, he never seemed to get any sleep if the shark wasn't in the immediate vicinity.

He closed his eyes and thought about everything from the day, going over everything down to the smallest detail. He had a new mission now, one that might take an eternity to complete but was the single most important thing on his mind.

 _How do I get him to remember me?_


	2. Partners

KisaIta Week Day 2- Partners

The days following were not the best for Itachi. Every day he would go to check on his former lover, and every day he was practically chased from the room by said lover. He had been warned by Zetsu when he first brought the shark in that memory problems may follow, but this was agony.

He sighed softly and took a seat on the edge of the bed in the middle of his room, gently picking up a picture poised on his partner's messy nightstand. They had looked so happy in that photo, taken at just the right moment where the two were tangled in each other's loving embrace, Kisame's sharp grin a stark contrast to the small ghost of a smile present on Itachi's lips. A small drop hit the surface of the glass before being quickly wiped away, disappearing almost as suddenly as it appeared.

This was Itachi's personal hell if there ever was one.

Wandering through the darkness for so long Itachi had almost lost his way. He had single handedly eliminated every tie he had in this wretched world, the people who had raised him from his vulnerable stages of youth to the young man he was today were all slaughtered like cattle for a "greater cause". Only the smallest, the weakest of them all, his dear little brother, survived the carnage, only to be thrusted to a life of vengeance, hatred, and utter darkness.

Itachi knew his life was worth nothing in the eyes of his former comrades, he had no one else to turn to. Family had failed him, friends turned their backs to him, religion was nonexistent for a shinobi of his status, for surely if there was a higher being they would have never let something as sinister and purely vile as this happen to their beloved people. The Uchiha knew nothing of hope, nothing of love or warmth, the darkness was his only solace.

That was until an equally shattered being crossed his path. Kisame was nothing, and yet, he was everything. He had betrayed his own people, turned his blade to his comrades, and yet felt no need for vendettas and power.

They were two halves of a broken soul, forever apart but finally together. It took time, like most things in the world, but after years of being the only companion available for the other, soon they were the only companion that they needed. Countless shinobi from all walks of life had fallen to their hands, not as the individuals, but as the foundation they had built together. It was merely a matter of time before they joined together as partners, more than the intended purpose of the word.

Itachi let out a trembling breath, feeling as though the tension rising in the room would suffocate him. How much longer must he wait? How much time until he could rejoin that other half? He was not nearly as strong as he previously had been alone, no, now Kisame was everything. The air he breathed, the life in his veins, the surge in his soul, everything that made him Uchiha Itachi. The shark had shown him what it meant to live again, and he was not ready to go back to the walking corpse he once was.

The raven curled beneath the covers of his partner's side, the photo clutched tightly against his chest. He had wasted two days' time trying to convince his partner of the person he once was, but now his direction had changed. Moving forward, he would rebuild that broken man from the Mist, reform and shape him into a whole piece, even if he no longer needed the second broken one. Who was he to hold him back from achieving that happiness?

Kisame sighed as the man left once again, regrettably looking at the shards of broken glass littering the floor. He was lucky the kid seemed to like him enough not to kill him in the middle of the night. So far he had broken a bowl, three glasses and a small vase in the attempt to get the raven away from him, each time he seemed to just miss the boy.

The shark growled as he shifted his massive body to rest more comfortably in the hospital bed. This was starting to get on his nerves, how much longer was he to be held captive here? He was a living, breathing being for crying out loud! He needed to run, to swim, to enjoy the blessed sunlight outside, not be holed up in a cramped, musty room for half his life. What was his purpose here anyways? How could he possibly assist a mass organization if he was restricted to a bed?

The blue man sighed before shifting to the edge of the bed, slowly setting his feet on the floor before testing them with a little of his weight. They seemed to be holding him just fine, much to Kisame's enjoyment. Leg strength meant freedom, freedom meant movement, and movement meant getting the hell away from this stupid little room and the stupid little kid.

 _You don't understand me. You don't even understand yourself._

The voice in his head was right. Ever since his first encounter with the kid he had been hearing the same voice echoing through his subconscious, bringing up new and reflective things for Kisame to think about during his isolation. Sometimes the voice was stubborn or naggy, reminding the blue man of the kid and causing him to bash his forehead into the wall. But other times he found himself mulling over something the voice had said, as though it was his subconscious trying to tell him something.

 _You're just a thug. You got lost in the mist, and ended up here. You can't even control where you're_ going _._

He never understood how the voice knew exactly how to make him feel better, but somehow it was like someone dear to him was personally commentating on the movie that was his life. He had wandered through the mist for years, figuratively and literally, trying to make his way from the bottom to the top of the food chain. Now he had reached his goal, he had surpassed any and all opponents, and yet he still felt empty and remorseful. He tried filling the void, traveling town to town looking for opponents that could rival his strength, anyone who would dare to try and control the Monster of the Mist.

Somewhere along that path he had found something, something…special. Something light. Something that made this wretched existence worth pursuing.

But for the life of him Kisame could not remember what it was.

He spent every morning, every afternoon, every evening; every waking moment trying to job his memory. There was something missing, some sort of lapse in time where he missed a critical event. The blue man knew of the accident, he knew that there were memories missing and he may never get them back. But for some reason his brain kept bringing him back to that conclusion: the thing that had changed him from the Monster to the human was missing.

Kisame sighed and leaned against the door jamb for support, looking back at the bed to admire his work. He had managed to make his way all the way across the room in one go, all without any help or watchful gaze. This was something to be proud of, no matter how insignificant it may seem to anyone else.

With a new sense of determination Kisame walked into the bathroom, looking directly into the mirror. Suddenly he was taken aback at the difference, the last thing he remembered about his appearance was the normal 24 year old man with dulled eyes and a dangerous expression. Now he looked as though he was nearly 30, he had more noticeable lines in his face as well as the beginning of a few wrinkles. But that's not all he noticed. His eyes held a sort of sadness he couldn't place, as though his very _soul_ was missing something. Kisame sighed and splashed water on his face, hoping to calm himself down. He needed to do some deep research, and the only person who he really knew in this whole place was the very person he hated to see.

Kisame would just have to partner up with Itachi if he wanted to get to the bottom of this.


	3. Trust - Secrets

KisaIta Week Day 3- Trust/Secrets

A week had passed since Kisame made the decision to search for his missing piece. After getting the all clear from Zetsu the shark like man was on his way, re-exploring the base.

Ninja survival lesson #1: know your surroundings. Kisame hummed softly to himself as he took everything in, bits and pieces of his memory coming back as he stepped into each room. The alter room where so many meetings were held, the kitchen where everyone congregated on a daily basis, he took time to inspect and memorize the layout of the base just to make sure he knew of every means of escape.

After thoroughly inspecting the hideout he decided to confront the kid. He walked the length of the large hallway down to what he assumed was his room, due to the fact that every other door had a different chakra marker to it. He had passed by a few he recognized, the leader, Konan, Kakuzu, Zetsu, and Sasori. There seemed to be a few newer ones however, one that seemed very explosive that had replaced Orochimaru's, a very violent and sporadic one, and then one that seemed very steady and calm. He assumed the later was the kid's; considering he didn't seem like the type to let his emotions get the best of him.

Kisame knocked on the hard wood door, eyebrow arching when he realized exactly where he was. Wasn't this his old room? His own chakra marker was in there, did the leader really shove this kid in there while he was away on his mission? He grumbled slightly as he heard movement from inside. _That kid better not have moved any of my shit._

The door opened revealing a very distressed looking raven, the bags under his eyes seemed darker and even more pronounced than before; his normally perfect posture was completely thrown out the window for a depressed slouch and his long flowing hair was matted with tangles. It was obvious the poor kid hadn't had any sleep in at least a week.

"Kisame? What are you doing up?" Itachi yawned out at him, concerned. "You should have at least been in bed for another week…."

"Well Zetsu didn't seem to think so. He said I'm perfectly healthy and I just have to take it a little easy for a while." Kisame hummed and stepped into his room, raising an eyebrow at the décor. The last he remembered he had one bed all to himself, there were some shitty sheets to cover the one window he had, a stool next to the bed acting as a nightstand and his gear was all over the place. Now there was a large bed in the middle of the room with a couple nightstands, a warm glowing lamp off on a desk to the side of the room and the closet was in perfect order. His gear had been put away neatly on hangers and shelves in the room, everything was perfect. Kisame hated it.

The shark man turned and glared at the Uchiha, grumbling under his breath as he walked around to the other side of the room to inspect the room. The kid's things were everywhere! It was mixed in with everything he had, both of their underwear in the same drawer, socks mixed together, and _what in the hell?_ Kisame bent down and took out a small black box from under the bed, giving the younger man a questioning gaze. Itachi's cheeks flushed and he mumbled under his breath, something that surprised the blue man. _Since when the hell did an Uchiha blush?!_

He opened the box and felt blood rush to his cheeks, immediately slamming it shut and tossing it back to its rightful place. He felt panic surge through his chest, everything pointed to the two of them being in a relationship, but that was ridiculous! Yeah the raven was attractive for a man, and he would admit that he was a little more feminine than most men, but Kisame would never go for him! He was straight for crying out loud!

The shark stood and crossed over to the other side of the room, about to give Itachi an earful when he noticed something in the corner. There stood his Samehada, undamaged and incredibly clean. It looked as though someone had worked on every individual scale, rewrapped every bandage as tightly as the last ones were, hell they even polished the grip…

"I knew you would be upset if Samehada had blood and guts caked to him when you woke… I hope you don't mind, I tried to clean him the best I could; given the circumstances…" Itachi murmured softly to him, making sure to keep his distance. Before the mission Kisame would chastise him for even going near Same when he wasn't there, he never wanted his precious sword to hurt his beloved. But now, this Kisame was completely different. He didn't know what to expect from him.

 _Starting today, you too are an Akatsuki member, and my companion. Be wary of me._

Kisame sighed feeling as though they have butted heads once before, something similar yet not the same. He set his sword back in its place before turning to the raven. "Look kid, I don't know what's going on here. One day I'm just my own person with my own goals, I didn't know anyone, I didn't need anyone. Now it's like I'm a completely different person it seems, first of all I would never have chosen you of all people to hook up with. Sorry but you're just not my type. I'm a hot blooded man, I need nothing less than a woman to satisfy me. It's nothing personal, I just, I don't swing that way ok? Second of all, _this_ -"he motioned to the room, "is not how I live! I can't have order and cleanliness, hell I can't even function unless I've had my fill of bloodshed for the day! I don't know if maybe we were drunk one night and had a little fun and you took it the wrong way, but I would never want any of this." He finished and watched the kid, happy to get everything off his chest.

Itachi watched him with a steady gaze, unable to find the words to describe how he felt. He knew Kisame was just over reacting from the amnesia, but his words really resonated inside him. Maybe deep down he knew it was all just a matter of time before one of them exploded, but he really thought that just maybe they could work…

He shook his head and sighed, running a hand through his tangled bangs. If this was going to work Itachi needed to find a common ground with the new Kisame Hoshigaki, even if it meant starting from scratch. It was the shark after all who told him, a bond cannot be formed if no trust exists to begin with.

"I'm sorry if this seems like too much for you. I know this is a lot to take in and you must be confused about everything that's happened. Let me at least start from the beginning and we can go from there, does that sound fair?" He had to keep his voice from cracking. It had been such a long time since he had to hide his emotions from this man, he could hardly look him in the eye.

Kisame pulled up the chair from the desk and sat on it backwards, resting his arms over the back of the chair and watched the Uchiha. "Alright. I'll listen. Tell me exactly what happened." Itachi watched him and leaned against the wall, recounting every detail from their last mission together.


	4. Katon Suiton - Fire Water

KisaIta Day 4- Katon-Suiton/Fire-Water

***The Mission***

All was still in the forest outside Konohagakure. Lightning bugs trailed through the air lighting the way for smaller creatures in the night, mice scurried across clearings to their burrows, and a lone owl echoed off in the distance. The night itself seemed to be at peace as moonlight bathed the earth below with its magnificent haze, exposing the every little thing while the shadows hid so many more. Everything was in harmony and balance, until two dark figures stepped through the clearing.

The crickets stopped their chirping, the lightning bugs drifted off towards the edges of the clearing, even the smaller critters stopped their scavenging sensing the immediate danger. The figures made their way hurriedly across the clearing, the smaller of the two moving through as though he was made of wind, barely leaving a trace. The taller of the two was having trouble maneuvering through the land without alerting others of his presence, he moved cautiously yet swiftly to keep up with the smaller but left a few broken twigs and disturbed burrows behind.

"If we are careful, we can cross without any interference." The taller said in a hushed tone, eyes watching his every step.

"Hn…. If we don't hurry we'll miss our opportunity." The smaller said, exposing a pair of red eyes as he looked back at his partner. "Then we'll have to lay in wait for the next boat."

The taller smiled, jagged, sharp teeth cutting through the black shadow over his face. "I can think of a few ways to pass the time…" The smile grew as red eyes locked with his own. "If you're up for it, Itachi-san…."

Itachi shook his head in disbelief and continued forward, careful to avoid obvious traps. You would think all these years after he left the village as ANBU captain the new recruits would have been trained in different tactics or means of communication instead of child's play, the spring loaded tile of synthetic grass, the trip wire, he had even spotted a few land mines; all of which had been his own detailed plans he executed during his time as captain. _Of course_ , he thought, _to someone like Kisame or an intruder not from the leaf would have no idea about such a thing._ But to not change the layout in 5 years? That was idiotic.

He blinked as he heard a soft click, whipping his head back just in time to see his clumsy partner trigger an explosive. Kisame blinked and looked down at his foot then back at the weasel, the two locking eyes as all color drained from their faces. It was a weighted mine. If Kisame so much as thought about moving his foot it would explode in an instant, taking the two of them out, or at the very least, completely shredding his leg to the bone. Itachi watched warily, Sharingan scanning the device for any sort of disarm switch. Of course he knew about all the explosives, and normally the shark had no problem paying attention to Itachi's every step. So what had changed this time? What made this so different?

 _I wonder what he was thinking about? How could he be so blind?!_

 _**A few minutes earlier***_

" _If you're up for it, Itachi-san…"_

 _Kisame smiled wider as the smaller man shook his head and continued forward. He loved to tease his lover every chance he got, he liked to think it kept things fresh in the bedroom. Ever since the two of them confessed to one another their bond had been stronger than ever, it had only taken 3 years from the time Itachi joined the Akatsuki for the two of them to fall in love, and a year later they decided to make it official. Kisame was skeptical at first, he had always thought he walked the straighter path of life. Not once had he ever considered being with a man, hell, he had chased some of the most feminine women throughout his life when he had the time._

 _Just something about Itachi changed him, maybe it was his sage-like nature. He knew exactly what to say and when to say it to get people to bend to his will, but it always seemed to be in their benefit. Maybe it was his perspective on the world, he had always pushed Kisame to look at things in a different light. Anything from unnecessarily slaughtering a man to even killing a spider, Itachi held value in every aspect of life no matter how big or small. Which really, when Kisame thought about it, was incredibly ironic coming from the same man who murdered his entire clan._

 _It may have just been the essence of Uchiha Itachi. Everything from how he thought to how he looked, I mean the man was freaking gorgeous! He had that long flowing hair that only an Uchiha could maintain, along with practically glowing porcelain skin that felt like velvet against Kisame's own rugged exterior. His neck was a pillar of ivory that expanded to two chiseled shoulders and back, flexing with every motion the raven did. Two slender legs almost completely devoid of any hair, and if there was hair it was so thin and delicate that it didn't make a difference when their legs were entwined under the sheets. His feet were adorably petite for a man, something Itachi was not quite proud of but Kisame couldn't get enough of. They arched like a woman's and each toe was slender yet plump enough to draw the shark's attention whenever he painted those perfect toe nails._

 _Finally that absolute perfection that made up Itachi's rear. It was more than he could ever want from a lover; round and supple yet firm and muscular. It had a give to it to just allow for a little play time, yet taught enough to stay perked and round instead of sagging or jiggling in their constantly active life styles. In fact, it swayed perfectly in time with Itachi's hips as he walked forward, even while being hidden by the bulky Akatsuki cloak it had a mysterious power over the shark. Kisame smirked and zoned in on nothing other than his lover's rear, eyeing it as it moved up and down in a perfect rhythm, just out of his reach…._

 _Suddenly he heard a soft click and looked down at his foot, paling at the sight. Of course he had set off a trip mine, he always knew that ass would get him killed! He looked up and met his desire's eyes, already reading his thoughts and agreeing with him whole heartedly._

 _How could he be so stupid?!_

 _**Present***_

"Alright Kisame…. On the count of three…" The Uchiha slowly backed away from the explosive area, scanning their surroundings. There were very faint chakra signatures but they were far off, if they were lucky they could get out of range of the explosive and farther north before the shinobi congregated to their location.

"One…" Kisame licked his chapped lips, a bead of sweat slipping down his cheek. They would have to time this perfectly, if not he would never be able to walk again.

"Two…" This was it, it was only a matter of seconds before he either made the worst mistake of his life or narrowly escaped death.

"Three!" The two of them jumped back just as the explosive went off, sending them flying into opposite directions. Kisame let out a loud grunt as he was propelled directly into a thick oak tree, whacking the back of his head off the large trunk.

He must have blacked out for a second because when he awoke he was on his side and watched on as his partner took on a good amount of shinobi. The Uchiha moved with the grace of a dancer as left and right bodies fell to his katana, red eyes ablaze before more enemies blocked his view.

"Katon- Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

A large fireball erupted from the center of the ring, encasing two to three of the enemies in a blaze of hellfire and reduced them to mere ashes. Kisame smirked against the compact dirt beneath him, groaning as he tried to move his body. He must have thrown his back or something, everything below his waist was completely numb.

"Suiton- Taihodan!"

Kisame blinked and struggled to see past the blades of grass blocking his view. Itachi had managed to kill or disarm the majority of the attackers, but it looked like one of them was a fairly decent water caster. A large bullet of water sped toward his exhausted Uchiha, and the shark panicked a little as he saw it barely miss his beloved. Enough was enough.

Kisame made a hand sign the best he could in his current state and slammed his hand onto the ground before him, mumbling under his breath.

"Suiton- Suikotoppa!"

He winced as a sharp pain penetrated his skull, watching as a large shark exploded from the small puddle of water created by the last water technique. It took the shinobi by surprise from behind and he watched with satisfaction as it ripped him to shreds. The shark blinked a few times before everything went dark again, this time waking with a sweaty, bloody weasel in front of his face.

Itachi panted slightly as he tried to get Kisame up off the ground, slowly moving him to a sitting position. A small portion of his sleeve was sliced off exposing a torn and bruised arm. His cheeks were covered with soot and his hair was a mess from the humidity caused by the battle ground.

"Kisame, listen to me, we need to get you up… I think you may have a concussion…"

Kisame smiled sloppily, leaning almost his full weight onto the weasel. "I can think….of something else….that needs to get up…..heh…heh…"

Itachi shook his head and helped his lover stand against the tree, reinforcing his arms and legs with chakra to be able to support the blue man. He was in bad shape, the entire back of his skull was shattered and his back was twisted in a painful way. He sighed and adjusted the man in his grip before making his way through the clearing, sending out a distress signal to Zetsu. Hopefully the medic would be able to help him before he lost too much blood, otherwise this could get ugly.

Kisame lulled against his partner before pressing his nose to his neck, closing his eyes. This wasn't such a bad way to go, if he had to this was pretty awesome. "Heroic Shark Dies After Saving Lover" or something like "Mourning Uchiha Shares All: The Story Behind Kisame Hoshigaki's Daring Sacrifice." Of course this all depended on the face that anyone cared if he passed away, or if Itachi decided to keep his body intact. Per Akatsuki rules any and all members must be completely eliminated if the situation arises.

Itachi watched his partner worriedly as he saw the plant man rise in the distance, holding him closet as he fell asleep. Now he could only hope for his partner's safety and pray for a speedy recovery. He just wanted everything to be back to normal.


End file.
